Legacy of the Bat
by Gotham's Dark Knight
Summary: In an A/U a new hero takes to the streets of Gotham
1. Chapter 1

Legacy of the Bat

Chapter 1

**The Future**

The wind whipped through the buildings almost penetrating the thin tri-polymer reinforced black armored exoskeleton, a cowl and a long black cape. I know it's not your normal attire for standing on the ledge of a building, but in this line of work, the clothes make the man.

They call me Batman. A name from the past that still has the desired effect.

A car approaches the twentieth floor landing pad. With the visual enhancements in the cowl, I can see that's an Osprey. Classy, I'm impressed. Vinnie must do pretty well to afford that kind of car.

The Osprey is a versatile vehicle. It's capable of both ground transport and flight along the city's sky net. Only the wealthiest people can afford this year's model. Vinnie must be doing very well indeed.

The front passenger door opened and a large thick-necked man got out. He looked around nervously with his right hand under the European style suit coat. He's probably carrying a firearm. He's reaching for the back door. Now, its time for an appearance. I leap off the building. The wind screams in my ears as I plummet. My stomach took a trip also, into my throat, a nervous habit of my stomach. I guess it's still not used to this mode of transportation.

The sensation passes as I land flat-footed on the Osprey's roof flexing my knees to absorb the shock. The roof collapsed under my weight, lucky for me, my family heritage saved my legs from shattering as well. My impact sent the reinforced windshield and side ports into all different directions. Ol' Thick Neck was thrown a few feet away. Vinnie, who just happened to exit the vehicle, had fallen to the platform, and looked as if he just wet his pants. Sometimes I love this job.

"You lied to me Vinnie. You said you wouldn't be back in town." I said in my best voice. It came out more like a harsh whisper. Vinnie's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but his mouth didn't want to cooperate. A red blip flashed across the left eyepiece. Thick neck must have recovered. Yep, he was up and moving toward me. As calmly as I could and with practiced a hand I drew a batarang from its holster and flung it at him. It hit him in the forehead, knocking him down and unconscious. Another blip flashed across my eyepiece showing movement from behind me. The driver had gotten out. His face was bloody, and he didn't look happy. A quick boot to the face silenced him.

Vinnie must have recovered, in his hand he held the biggest handgun I'd seen in at least two days. I took it from him with a swipe of my hand, and tossed it away.

"Oh Vinnie, that's a big gun. You know what they say about men with big guns don't you?" Vinnie didn't look happy. Actually he had looked ridiculous with that huge weapon in his little hand.

"You're supposed to be dead." He managed to say.

"So they tell me." Two days ago one of the corporations on the boulevard sent a hired gun after me. We got into it and one of us didn't walk away, he had to be wheeled away on an ambulance gurney. The other (that would be me) barely walked away. Not to be seen for two days. "The reports of my death are highly exaggerated." I rasped. "I told you that if you came back that I would not be pleased." I grabbed Vinnie by his expensive overcoat collar and easily hoisted him into the air, and pulled him close. "So I brought a few friends."

And as if on cue, the wail of police sirens filled the air. As Vinnie looked towards the headlights that were filling the alley, I dropped him and disappeared into the shadows. It took me a few minutes to find a new perch. From here I had a good view of Vinnie being loaded into the back of a police van. Vinnie should have known that the police had warrants on him from years back. Like I said, sometimes I love this job.

Hours later, I entered the Cave (once dubbed The Batcave many years ago by Richard Grayson, the original Robin) from one of the many secret entrances. My nightly patrol had gone well, aside from turning Vinnie over to the police, I had stopped three robberies and one attempted rape. Calvin was waiting for me with a towel and I accepted the towel with a smile and began removing the chest armor and cowl. Once bare I wiped my upper body down with. Lucky there was no need for Calvin's medical services.

"Sir, a message was left for you while you were out." Calvin said hanging up the discarded pieces of my costume. I walked over to where the computer was.

"Computer," I called out, activating the voice recognition program. "display message."

On the screen a man's face appeared, it was old and withered. It was a face that had not been in the public since the time of my grandfather. Kal El, or Superman to most. I wondered how he knew where to send the message too.

"We need to talk." That was unusual. Kal El was never seen and rarely came out of his Fortress of Solitude in the artic. Not since Lois Lane had been killed. "Be here tomorrow at noon, that shouldn't be a problem for you." Very strange indeed, he had included coordinates to the entrance to the Fortress, not that I needed them, having accessed Bruce's files while the message played. I'll have to go to bed now, to get enough sleep for the flight north. I cancelled a few meetings and headed for the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I was twenty thousand feet in the air, and my mind was wandering. Why was a reclusive hero of the past, asking to speak with me. I knew that there was bad blood between him and Bruce Wayne. Kal El really didn't approve of Bruce's methods or his choice in partners, any of them, but why after all these years contact me. He had no way of knowing who I was or my connections with the past. Well, I had a few hours to ponder the matter.

The alarm goes off waking me from the short nap. Touching the autopilot I regained control of the 'wing, and landed on an ice flow. It took only a minute or two for the engines to cool down. Then I got out and activated the cloak.

After adjusting the cloak's settings to satisfaction, I attached a respirator to the open portion of my cowl, sealing the suit. Then it was time for a swim.

"You kept the cape." He said as I was removing the respirator. He was bent with age, and wore a long black robe the covered him from neck to toe. The sleeves were huge, and covered his hands. The robe was high-necked and trimmed in silver. On the chest he wore the silver mantle of his family, the famous "S". His balding head was framed in stark white hair that fell down his shoulders and back. It almost touched the floor. His beard was the same stark white and fell just above his chest.

"I liked it. It keeps with the image." He motioned for me to follow. His movements were slow and deliberate. The hall he led me down was surrounded on both sides by a zoo of alien animals that had been collected long ago by another, and adopted by Kal El when the other was defeated.

He led me to a large room that had computers and living room furniture set. You would think that being in an iceberg in the artic that it would be freezing cold, but it was comfortable. There was no need to adjust the temperature of my armor. He sat down in an overstuffed leather armchair. I sat on the couch across from him.

"Why did you call me here?" No point beating around the bush.

"I heard that the Bat had returned to Gotham. Are you like him?"

"How do you mean?"

"Do you use the same methods?"

"If you mean fear, intimidation and terror, then yes. My weapons are more advanced and I have a few other toys that he didn't have, and like him, I don't kill."

The old man grunted. He looked at me. I felt as if he could look through me. Well, he could after all, but today I was wearing the cowl with the thin lead mesh. Today was not the day for my identity to be revealed. Even to him.

"He fought a good fight." Kal El looked off into the past. "We hardly ever agreed, and sometimes I didn't care for him. I lost count of the times he saved my life. Or how many times he pulled off a victory when the League thought it was defeated." He looked at me again. "He may not have had any powers, but he was the most powerful in the League."

He stared at me. "You should be careful. I don't know your background, or why you took his mantle. But I saw it sometimes eat him alive. And even then there were only a few times that I saw him happy." I knew exactly what he meant, or more to the point who. Diana.

"My reasons are my own, but know this; I took this mantle to serve Gotham. Not for glory. Not to make a name for myself. Things have taken a serious dive there. If you thought it was bad for him, it's even worse now. The police officers that aren't on the take are overworked, and the court system is a joke. Most of the city officials are on one payroll or another. I may be alone for now, but I can handle myself." I took a deep breath; I hadn't spoken about this aloud. "I spent ten years in the Corps, trudging through jungles, stomping over deserts, and the cold reaches of space. I served in the Qualin Campaigns, so I know sorrow and hardship. I spent three years in a Qualin prison camp." My last statement raised his eyebrows. That last statement wasn't entirely true. I only spent a year and a half in the camp and endured some torture. Several of us had escaped, and spent the next year as guerillas harassing the surrounding encampments, and facilities. It wasn't long after that the hostilities stopped and a treaty was signed.

"Well, boy. I heard about that war." There was respect in his eyes, along with sorrow. "I hope Gotham is in good hands son." There was the hint of a faint smile. Maybe even some approval. I don't imagine that he smiles alot lately.

"Is this why you asked me here? To see if I was going to be like him, maybe try to persuade me to give it, and not let it ruin me like you thought it did to him?"

"Yes, I didn't want some snot-nosed brat looking for glory; ruin the memory of a good man." He said. Then added: "Don't let it ruin you."

"It didn't ruin him. If anything it made him a better man, and even through all the death and hardships he faced, he did find happiness and his mission wasn't interrupted by the introduction of one woman." I should know I was a product of that union. Not to mention I had read through his files until I memorized them.

Even in his journal, which no one knew he kept, including Diana, he named all his fears, and his joys. When she came into his life as more than a teammate it showed. When his own flesh and blood was born, he pushed and fought even harder ensuring that his son would not have to grow up without both parents as he had. "In fact that one woman made him fight harder and longer than he should have." He seemed to jump at the mention of a woman. I was having a hard time controlling my emotions, and I almost missed it. "Are you satisfied?"

"For now."

Nodding, I got up to leave. He started to get up, but I motioned for him stay seated. "I know the way out." That pissed him off.

"Do you know how old I am?"

"Almost three hundred years." I calmly said.

"Two hundred seventy-four to be exact. This is my home, and if I want to show you the door, I will."

"My apologies." Kal El got up from his chair.

He grunted as if laughing. "That was something he rarely did. Of course he was hardly ever wrong, and was always prepared."

He shuffled along and began telling a story about Bruce, he started speaking in lower tones that I could barely hear. I debated on enhancing the audio receptors, but decided against it. It seemed like he needed to remember the glory days.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sun was rising above Gotham City as my limo hovered at the main entrance of Wayne Industries. Whenever I can, I use the main entrance, to see my employees, to show them that I do exist, and that I am human. There had been a few rumors contrary my existence.

"Sir, if I may be so bold....", Calvin, my personal assistant.

"That depends." I said not looking up from the news service reader.

"How was your meeting yesterday?"

"Not so bad I think. Might not have his blessing, but don't I think that he'll try to stop me."

"Very good." He led the way through the halls to my office. There were only a few people around. Most wouldn't be until after eight thirty. They were just a few eager beavers trying to make good impressions with the boss. Calvin and I went into the spacious room that was my office. Calvin went immediately to a computer terminal. I slowly ambled to the window and looked out over the city that I now protect.

Gotham had grown since the time of the Age of Heros, as historians like to call it. Gotham had not only grown outward, but upward. It seemed that the level in which you lived displayed economical status. Everybody above the three hundredth floor was the rich and celebrities. The levels between seventy-five and three hundred were the middle class residents, and anything below that was the "Slums" as referred to by most. The Slums is where I seem to spend most of my time.

A Gotham PD cruiser streaked by the window, with all its lights and sirens going. Even through the reinforced polymer plastisteel I could hear, "Clear the way...you are in the path of a police unit......".

Calvin came up behind me, with his appointment display pad.

"You have a meeting in ten minutes with Takashi Yakamura from Fugi-Lex Corps."

"All right." Then my day job began.

The moon was rising above the mega-skyscrapers as I peered over the edge of Gotham Towers, an apartment/business building. I had received word earlier today that someone "Big" was going to break into the Gotham Federal Reserve. Granted, paper money is no longer in great circulation, the Reserve also holds access codes too many of the larger corporations, and banks.

One of those codes could give anybody billions of dollars. Had the IRS not been abolished all those years ago, this wouldn't involve me. However, the Reserve holds the access codes to Wayne Industries, which drives me crazy that these idiots have that kind of access.

Across the street about twenty floors down, a large freight truck rounds the corner. A truck of that size wouldn't be in that area. If it was just passing through it would be lower, as to not offend the rich and famous. So it must be them.

Increasing the magnification on my visual enhancements, I can make out three men and two women. The smaller of the two women seems to be in charge. The others are scrambling to meet her demands. Within seconds they were in. Someone should really look into increasing security. Someone came out to meet them, a guard. Oh look, an inside job.

Leaping off the building I grabbed the edges of my cape, turning it rigid, making a glider for the short flight. I landed on the roof of the truck, rolled off the edge and landed on the first man knocking him unconscious. He must have been the look out, because the cab was empty. The cargo doors were open and it was empty. I searched his body and found an automatic needle pistol, and in his ear he had a receiver/transmitter for a comm system.

Cautiously I enter the Reserve. The guard station was empty. Oops, not so empty, number two comes out from a room across the hall. He's a short Asian man with long black hair pulled into a stylish ponytail, armed with a katana, which was swinging towards my head. I duck and felt the woosh of air as the blade whistled over my head, even through the cowl. I came up with bat-shaped shuriken and let it fly. It struck Katana-boy in the chest. I had coated the shuriken in a fast acting neuro-toxin, which will knock him out for a while, and leave a horrible taste in his mouth. I caught him before he hit the floor, and stuffed him behind the guard's desk.

Peering around the left corner of the four-corner intersection I saw the second women and a large man, and they had seen me, numbers three and four.

Ah, so much for the stealthy entrance. The two were running down the hall towards me. Calmly I crossed the hall, tossing a small rubber ball at the oncoming two. A second later there was the tell tail "whomp" of the ball exploding into a tangle of gooey web-like strands. I peeked around the corner and saw that both were stuck in the web, and mad as hell. An hour later they would be free.

From down the hall the door exploded as three men, dressed as security guards burst through. _Where'd these guys come from?_ No matter, I readied myself, taking a fighting stance, and moved in. The first guy was eager. He swung high hoping to catch me in the head. With my left I blocked the punch, simultaneously punched him in the solar plexus, hard. He tried to drop like a sack of potatoes, gasping for breath, but I grabbed him by the collar and pushed him into one of the other men.

The third man grabbed me from behind in a bear hug. He successfully pinned my arms to my sides and jerked me into the air. He twisted to the left; my feet came in contact with the wall. I pushed off with all my strength, sending us into the far wall. The impact sent us sprawling to the floor. I rolled to the right and came to my feet, moving towards Mr. Bear-hug. It took two left jabs and a right-cross for him to fall, but I was pulling my punches, trying not to shatter his skull.

The other two were just now recovering. A chop to the neck and an elbow to face rendered them unconscious.

I came to the last door in the hall; behind it was the mainframe computer. Whoever designed this building was pretty stupid. The Reserve computer should be in one of the sub-basements with only one exit/entrance. This level was almost two hundred stories up, and was located in a corner space.

I could hear the smaller woman giving someone instructions, sounded like they were bypassing the security lockouts buried within the program. I entered the room.

The Mainframe sat in the far corner opposite the window. It sat so that the operator's back was to the door. Like I said poor design.

The woman was standing over the security guard who was at the terminal entering commands. Neither had seen me, their attention was on the task at hand. And I thought that I had made quite a commotion in the hall. So, I announced myself.

"Access denied." Not one of my wittier moments, but it got their attention. The guard's face had the classic 'oh no' look on it. The woman cocked her head slightly, she was blind. The guard panicked, grabbed his weapon from its holster and grabbed the woman sticking the weapon to her head. Her reaction said that this wasn't part of the plan.

"Don't come any closer or she dies." how original.

"YOU IDIOT!" She yelled, and began struggling, making it hard for him to hold her. He began sidestepping towards the door. I countered his sidestepping, putting my back to window. What kind of man is he? Will he shoot her if I move? It's too close in here for a batarang, and she covers him too much for a shuriken. My bolo will be useless as well, but he can't leave, and I can't risk her life. Even if she is a thief. He's almost at the door. I can see in his eyes that he's getting bolder, thinking that he's got me. Not even close.

She continues to struggle as he drags her through the door. He steps out into the hall, still using her as his shield. He continues talking, but I stopped listening to him. He's moving back towards the entrance that they used. All his attention is still on me. He trips over one of his fallen comrades, distracting him long enough for me to let loose with a batarang. The woman falls to the floor as the batarang strikes him dead center in his chest. There's a burst of energy from the electrified batarang, and the man falls to the floor twitching.

I rush forward securing both thieves in handcuffs. I make a quick 911 call to GCPD and walk to the security station. I review the security footage to ensure that everything was recorded. I copied the footage to a small hard drive for later review. There's nothing like critiquing your own performance.

As I slipped into the shadows across the street, three GCPD air cars arrived. There was a lot of yelling but no gunfire.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It's been almost a week since my dealings with the Reserve. The news feeds hail the urban myth that is the Batman as a hero. The GCPD still says that they don't need his assistance and continue to deny his existence.

I listen to the feeds as I move through my morning Tai Chi. It works out the stiffness in my muscles from last nights patrol, and the soreness from the little skirmish I had with one of the new street gangs. They were an offshoot of the Bloods; which amazed me that they still existed because Bruce had run-ins with both the Bloods and the Crips during his reign over Gotham.

The pretty Asian reporter was saying something about an explosion downtown broke my concentration. I stopped and turned the volume up.

"For those of you that have just joined us, there has been an explosion at the Fugi-Lex Corps towers in downtown Gotham. Fire units are responding on scene as we are reporting this." She was good at showing no emotion, but there was sadness in her eyes. "We now go to Harold Foote, who is live on scene. Harold?"

The man began his report, but I only half listened. I was already contacting my people, setting up funds to be diverted for shelters, and food for the survivors. Calvin had come in as I was hanging up. I knew that he had a sister that was living in the mid-level apartments.

"Go Calvin, she needs you more than I do." I said putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Sarah and the boys are supposed to be in Metropolis visiting friends, but I can't contact them." His usual calm demeanor was getting ready to break. "I'll have the car come around to take you to the office."

I gently guided him into the overstuffed chair. I went back to the phone and called for the limo to meet Calvin around front in a few minutes. "Calvin, go into the city, and start getting everything ready. Sarah and the boys can stay here. And I mean in the main house, not the guest house."

"Thank you sir, I'm sure they will appreciate it."

"Nonsense, it's what family does."

I watched as Calvin leave in the limo. Someone had attacked my city, harmed hundreds of innocent people. Something burned inside me, something I haven't felt in a long time. Hate.

It was late in the night when I entered the remains of the destroyed levels. The explosion had taken placed on the one-hundredth floor, where most of the apartments were. It had destroyed several levels above and below. The building had been designed to withstand such damage and not topple.

The official body count was up to three thousand. The injuries were well into the ten thousands. Some of them will not make it through the night. Gotham's emergency services had been taxed, but I give credit where credit is due. They sacrificed themselves and saved so many lives. They inspire me on a daily basis.

Luckily Sarah and the boys had missed the flight from Metropolis this morning before the attack, and had been stuck at the airport. Calvin had taken my private plane and retrieved them, and would be taking them shopping. I will pay for anything they need of course.

Using the sensors built into the cowl, I went through the rooms, and levels looking for anything. As I worked my way deeper and deeper into the tangled mass of concrete and steel, I could smell the stench of burnt flesh, heated metal, and burnt insulation. It was a stench that I would never forget. It stirred up emotions and memories that I thought I had buried.

I spent several hours going through the rubble and debris, and was unable to find anything of the device, or accelerants that would cause this much damage. This lack of evidence led me to believe only one thing. It wasn't a bomb.

Pondering this, I left the building and started my patrol. It was a slow night. With the tragedy of this morning, even crime seemed subdued and there was nothing happening in the city. There was nothing on the police scanner, nothing on the streets. I confronted a few snitches of mine, but they had nothing about the explosion or anything else that would interest me.

I returned home and sat at the computer terminal. I accessed the GCPD computer network, and entered through a programmed backdoor. They knew as much as I did. There was no video before the explosion. There were no witnesses that could provide anything.

After a quick shower I went upstairs. It was well past three a.m. Using one of the entrances that led into the garage, I entered the kitchen. Calvin was sitting at the table with his sister they were talking quietly and drinking coffee. She was older than him by twenty years. She was plump, but had a pleasant face, and was always quick to smile. Tonight there was no smile, just dark circles around her red-rimmed eyes.

"You're out late Mr. Wayne." Sarah said matter-of-factly. Calvin gave me a pleading look, which I took as _please don't snap at her_.

"How many times have I asked you to call me Thomas?" I asked getting a cup from the cabinet. I poured myself a cup and sat next to her. She watched me intently over the top of her own mug. "Are you and the boys settled in alright?"

"Yes, Calvin said you insisted that we use the West Wing."

"I did, I wanted you guys comfortable until we find you a new place to live."

"Thank you, Thomas." She said.

"See, that didn't hurt did it?" I smiled. She returned the smile and hugged me. I was only glad to return the hug.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was several nights later and I found myself crouched in the shadows of the GCPD building. Through the enhanced audio receptors in the cowl I was listening to a conversation between Detective Renee Anderson and Detective Sgt Frank Robinson, two of the nightshift detectives. They were in a heated discussion, or argument depending on your point of view, regarding a murder case they were working. Even from across the road I could feel the sexual tension between the two. _Get a room already_. Sgt Robinson had also been assigned the Fugi-Lex Corps Towers investigation. Unfortunately he also had nothing new on the situation.

I stood, stretched the muscles in my back and shot a line to the building across the way. I leapt into the air as the grapple began retracting, dragging me across the roadway. I was in between the traffic lanes, so there were no cars.

As I landed on my new perch, there was a deep rumbling in the sky, like a sonic boom. Then there was an explosion a few blocks down. It came from the Gotham City hall. At this time of night there wasn't too many employees left in the building, but there were others in the building. There were floors dedicated as safe houses for abused women and their children. There was also a halfway house of sorts for low-income families.

I quickly made my way to the scene. I was surprised at the destruction that awaited me. The top half of the building was gone. It had crumbled onto the streets below. And from several hundred stories high, I could only imagine the devastation that on the ground level.

Getting over my initial shock, I leapt into the air, shot a grapple line and swung into the burning building. I set my visual enhancements to block out the intense heat, and adjusted the armor to protect me, and I entered the carnage.

It took the emergency services and I several hours to locate survivors. I was shocked that so many had survived the initial explosion, but the toppling of the building. I was physically and emotionally drained when I finally sat on the ledge of the neighboring building fighting back the tears. I still see the burnt and tangled bodies in the rubble. I saw families huddled together, parents covering their children, protecting them the best they could. Only I found them all dead.

The rage was building in me. I stood and screamed at the top of my lungs. After I steadied myself I began looking around, looking for clues. I saw that the windows on several of the buildings leading down the street were shattered, not just the ones around that had been blown out by the blast. It was as if something flying at supersonic speeds flew past here and struck the building. It wasn't a bomb that destroyed these buildings it was an object.

Calming myself further I remembered that the Wayne Foundation's main facilities were two buildings down the street along the path of what ever flew into the building.

The sun was rising over the tall buildings when I returned home. There was a large black column of smoke coming from City Hall, and it tugged at my heart. It took almost an hour under the hot water and repeated scrubbings to get the sweat and grime off my body, but it was going to take more than water and soap to cleanse my soul. I dressed in a dark business suit and left for the office early.

My secretary Janice had arrived early as well, as usual. I set her to work immediately, getting shelters ready and meals en route for the emergency workers on scene. I locked the door and accessed the security video from the Wayne Foundation. After reviewing the footage for an hour I saw something that shocked me. I had to slow it down to get a good look at it, but there it was.

"Impossible." I whispered. I watched it several more times, my eyes not believing what was being shown. I opened a secure connection to the Cave's computer and accessed the files stored there. It took another hour to compare what was stored there with what I had witnessed on the security footage. I closed out the connections and sat there thinking. With the events of the past several days and what I had just learned, my options were limited.

I left the office and made my way to my car in the mid-level garage. As I pulled out into traffic I opened a connection to Calvin.

"Yes sir?"

"Are you at the Mansion?"

By my tone he knew where this line of questioning was possibly going. "Yes sir, I have just finished with breakfast and I am attending to a few things in the garage."

"I'll be stopping by to take care of something in the basement," our code word for the Cave. "Then I'll be out of town for a few days."

"Understood sir, I will inform the board of directors."

Several hours later I parked the car in the garage. Traffic had been atrocious. People were trying to get out of the city, trying to find safe havens before another attack. Calvin met me at the door. I began telling Calvin of my findings. He was unable to contain his own shock. He had as many questions as I did, and a few I didn't think of. As we made our way into the Cave I told him that what I required and that it no longer existed.

"If it no longer exists where will you get it?"

"It no longer exists today, but a hundred years ago."

"I thought you hated time travel." Calvin said with a smirk.

"I do." I said as I headed for the Vault.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**The Present**

Wayne Towers wasn't as tall as I'm used to it being, but it provided a great perch to watch the streets below. That's where I found him crouching in the dark near a damaged gargoyle. The wind blew the billowing black cape around him as if the cape were alive. He seemed so much more larger than life. He was a bundle of corded muscles under the Kevlar and leather. He was like a big cat ready to pounce, but there was an aura of calmness and patience about him. I was in awe; never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that I was going to be anywhere near him. He was what I aspired to be, what was running through my veins. He was the Batman.

He crouched motionless for an hour watching the streets, and I knew that he was listening to the police bands, as well as getting information from Oracle. I on the other hand had to stretch my left leg after about thirty minutes, before it went to sleep.

I should look into getting an Oracle for myself; I could use an information powerhouse too. I thought to myself absently. Using the built-in receiver of my own cowl, I started to listen to the police band. I tried to adjust the frequency but I wasn't able to patch into Oracle's frequency.

He stiffened and turned his head to the left and looked right at me. I couldn't help but be surprised, I was three hundred meters from his position, the armor I wore was cloaked, and I was wedged between two huge air conditioning units masking any heat that I was putting off. But I swore he was looking right at me. He reached into his cape and pointed at the building across from him. I heard the zip line being shot, and he swooped into the night air.

I followed at a discreet distance, making sure he couldn't hear my own zip line being fired. After a few minutes he swung onto the roof top of an abandoned toy factory. Batman crouched by the skylight for a few seconds, and then touched his left ear making contact with Oracle. He nodded then dropped through the sky light.

I dropped to the spot where he had just vacated and peered over the side of the broken skylight. I adjusted the audio receptors on the cowl and I heard the brief banter between Batman and the Joker. The Joker's maniacal laughter cut through my earpiece and sent shivers down my spine.

Then the fight was on. He was magnificent; his movements were fluid, and almost dancer-like. There were several thugs assisting the Joker, and they attacked Batman all at once. He moved in and out of the men blocking and punching, or kicking, or gouging as he went. He took a few blows, but that didn't hamper him. Within a minute the henchmen were all lying about the floor in various states of consciousness. Some were writhing on the floor moaning in pain. I was jealous, even with all the various forms of training I had undergone; he was light years ahead of me.

The Joker did not just idly stand by and watch. He began to dance around as if in a mock fight of his own with an invisible foe, laughing that sick twisted laugh. As Batman approached him, Joker took a fighting stance, and I heard something like a high pitched "kai" come from his lips. Joker's forward hand motioned for the Batman to come and get him.

Batman knocked Joker's hands aside, grabbed the flower on his lapel, and tossed it aside. Joker tried to hit him, but he batted the fist away. He was quick and inside's Joker's reach. Grabbing him by the lapels, Batman hefted Joker off his feet. Joker began laughing hysterically.

Ten more henchmen filed into the room. Each was holding a different weapon. Batman tossed Joker onto the ground. Joker landed on his butt with a brunt and a laugh.

There was the crunching sound from my left, as if someone stepped on the gravel behind me, someone big. I drew two shurikens from their holster. The man grabbed at me, I twisted to my right, shoving my boot into his mid-section.

I was on my feet and facing him. He was well over two meters tall, and nearly as wide. His face was painted ghostly white, with his lips painted blood red like the Joker's. I let the shurikens fly as I moved towards him. I hit him twice in the chest, pulling my punches so not to hurt the man too bad.

An explosion from inside the building knocked me to the gravel roof. The large henchman was on his feet before me, and grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. He began pummeling my head. Enough was enough, I grabbed his wrist, holding nothing back and he screamed out in pain as I broke it. He dropped me, and I tackled him and we fell through the destroyed skylight.

We landed on the remnants of a wooden crate. I stood, and looked around. There were still flames flickering from the explosion. Desperately I switched visual modes in my cowl, and found Batman lying under a pile of burning rubble.

I ripped the rubble away and tossed it aside, my heart pounding in my ears, the fear building as I watched my past dying in front of me. I checked his vitals, and saw them slowly dropping. His costume was blackened from the fire, but drenched in his blood.

I pulled the remote for the Batmobile out of the compartment on his utility belt, and pressed the emergency button. Then from another compartment I pulled out a small med kit and a single-use syringe. I administered an injection of painkillers, and poured a clotting agent on the major injuries, and covered tehm with a pressure bandage. It would stop the major bleeding for now until he could be seen by a doctor. Seconds later the sleek car crashed through the wall. The roof slid open as the tires squealed to a stop. I lifted Batman into the passenger seat. I took the driver's seat, marveling that cockpit wasn't all that different from mine. I drove as quickly as I could through the streets of Gotham. There was no point taking him to a hospital, I didn't need to be seen in this timeline.

Using one of the emergency tunnels to the Batcave cut the drive time in half. Within minutes I was skidding to a halt on the turntable platform. As the roof slid open I saw Alfred rushing to the car.

"Oh my" He said as he saw Batman in the passenger seat, then: "Who are you?" He asked sternly.

"There's no time for that now, I managed to stop most of the bleeding but, he needs more help than I can provide." I gently lifted Batman from the seat. Alfred led the way to the infirmary. I stood by the entrance of the infirmary, not moving watching in amazement as Alfred worked his magic dressing the wounds and performing minor surgery. It took Alfred an hour to fully patch Bruce up and bring him back from the brink of death.

Alfred looked over the IV bottles one last time and was wiping his hands when he approached the main computer console. With a practiced keystroke then began speaking softly. A few seconds later he nodded, closing the connection and turned to me. "Now young man, I believe you have some explaining to do."

I pulled off my cowl, and the old man gasped in disbelief. I began explaining everything. He sat down next to the bed and listened nodding as he took everything in. There was a buzzing noise coming from near the Batmobile. The old man held up his hand to interrupt me.

"Hide in there." He said pointing towards an open door. I heard the clicking of boot heels on the hard floor. They were moving towards the infirmary with quick determination. I slipped into the room just as a statuesque raven haired woman came around the corner. She was beautiful, a little younger than I pictured her to be and moved with the grace of a cat. She was in the red, white and blue uniform of the Champion of the Amazons, Diana of Themiscyra, Wonder Woman.

I heard her say "I came as soon as I could get away." Alfred he nodded with a small smile, and then gave her a report on his condition. His voice was that of a father and not of an employee. He explained that Bruce had managed to activate the emergency receiver for the Batmobile and crawl inside before passing out. Diana nodded taking Bruce's hand in her own and sat in the chair beside the bed, one she will sit in many times over the next several years. Alfred laid a consoling hand on her shoulder, kissed her on the forehead and left her with her heart's desire. Alfred closed the door and motioned for me to follow him.

"It does my heart good to know that you are who you are." He said smiling, wiping a few tears from his eyes. Alfred walked to a small safe and opened it. Inside were several pieces of what I needed. I took one and slipped it into a pouch on my belt. He closed the safe and then hugged me. I hugged him back; he was after all my family.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**The Future**

I slowly pulled myself out of the icy lagoon that served as the entrance to his home. I had forgone the cape, trying to be stealthy as possible, even though he has enhanced hearing. I slowly made my way through the Fortress to the main hall. There he sat. To many he was the world's greatest hero, a savior to many billions. Now he was just a crazy man, and a killer.

He was sitting in an armchair and I could hear him talking to himself again, this time I listened.

"Should have been mine. I waited, but you never came." He cried out loudly. "Should have been mine. Not his, should have been mine. Always a second to his city. Was first to me, after Lois. _His_ city will pay. We were so alike so strong so powerful, could have been great together forever."

"You had your chance, but you gave it up. After that she was never yours. She gave up _her_ immortality for him." I said boldly coming into the room. My comment must have startled him, because he jumped to his feet. "You should have accepted that, and moved on."

"What would you know?" He spat out, as he turned to face me. There was a fire in his eyes that hadn't been there during our last meeting, and hadn't been seen for nearly a century.

I pulled the cowl off to reveal my face. I have been told that I am the spitting image of Bruce Wayne; however my blue eyes are the same shade of the Princess Diana's. "Bruce and Diana Wayne were my great-grandparents."

"The prodigal son returns." He said. Great-Grandson actually but I wasn't going to correct him. He started mumbling to himself, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Then without warning he launched himself at me.

For someone almost two hundred years old he was still fast, and I twisted the best I could to avoid being crushed as we hit the wall. His fists were blindingly fast, pummeling me, destroying the armor and smashing me into the wall. I blocked the best I could, but his insanity was driving him. I lashed out with my knee catching him on the inside of his left thigh giving me a moment to pull myself from the wall. He came at me, his fists flying again. I launched myself at him, shoving my shoulder into his chest. I heard his breath explode from his mouth. I punched him as hard as I could, but all it did was turn his head away.

He turned and looked at me there was a small line of blood from the corner of his lip. The intensity of the fire burned brighter. He batted me away from him, sending me into the far wall. I tried rolling into the wall to minimize the impact but he was on me before I knew it, his fists flying. I felt ribs giving way under the onslaught.

From the lined pouch I withdrew the green kryptonite ring and slipped it on my finger. I noticed the immediate change in his demeanor. He was still blinded by insanity and rage, but his body gave away the signs that the rings' effects were being felt.

He launched himself at me, but he was slower. I twisted to the left and brought up my right knee as his head was passing by. His head snapped upwards, his beard splashed out in all directions. I grabbed him and threw him to the floor, sending shockwaves through the floor and walls.

He stumbled to his feet and came at me. We exchanged blows, both of us getting weaker with each swing. After what felt like an eternity, but was merely a few minutes, we were both panting heavily. He was on his knees, fighting to stand. I leaned against the wall trying to hold myself upright.

"You fight nearly as good as him, and take hits better than he ever did." He said finally pulling himself to his feet. Holding my injured side, I stood, readied myself for another attack, but it never came.

"I have great genes." I said through gritted teeth.

He stumbled away from me. I followed him into a cathedral of a room, slipping the ring back into its pouch. There was a thin platform extending into the center of the room with looked like a control console, but it utilized long slender crystals. As he approached the console he fell to the floor. Despite the fight, I reached for him. He batted my hands away, using the console to pull himself upright. Using the console to hold himself up he grasped at a single green crystal and fell back to the floor.

"I am the last son of Krypton. This contains everything that was once Krypton." He whispered holding out the crystal to me. His breathing was slow and shallow and he had to gasp to get a lungful of air. I knelt beside him and took the crystal. He began speaking, but I had to lean close to him to hear what he was saying. His eyes were unfocused as he looked at me.

"Bruce, I know that I can trust you to keep it safe. I'm sorry for a lot of things." It took me a second to understand that he was talking to Bruce Wayne.

Playing along with his delusion; "Hang on Kent. Let me get some help."

He chuckled and licked his bloody lips. "It's too late for that." His eyes focused on me as I held him. "You have her eyes." He said gasping for air. "It's time I joined my family and friends." He said quietly. His eyes lost focus again as he looked past me. "Oh, you're here. I've missed you so much Lo..".

Then he was gone, Kal-El, Superman to the world died in my arms.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I crouched by the damaged gargoyle of the Wayne Towers, the wind whipped around me causing my cape to billow out as if it had life of its own. The events of the past few weeks ran through my mind. The opportunity to watch him work and fight renewed my desire to help my city.

I was torn from my thoughts when I heard boots land on the roof behind me. I knew who it was before she said anything.

"Hello." I said standing, turning to face Princess Diana, Wonder Woman. "I'm glad you got my message."

"It was strange enough to get a cryptic message from Alfred this morning after leaving the mansion, but to have me meet _you_ here of all the places in Gotham." I had contacted Alfred earlier and returned the Kryptonite ring while Bruce was recovering from his injuries.

"I figured it was the best place to speak with you. It's a special place to him, and now to me." I said, pulling back the cowl to show her. "I needed to speak with you." At first there was shock, then understanding.

"Son?" She asked with a tentative smile.

"Great-grandson", I smiled at the pleasant look of shock on her face which melted into a smile that seemed light the rooftop.

"You look younger than him, but your eyes are different, softer."

"Donna always says they look like yours." I took a deep breath and searched for the words. "I want you to know that he has and will always love you no matter what happens. It will be difficult at times and he will try to push you away, and sometimes you will want to run, but you won't. It will take a few years, but you both will be happy. As you can see it will turn out rather well."

"I've known his feelings about me, and it has taken a long for him to open up to me, even a little, but why are you here now, telling me this?"

"I wanted you to have hope, and a better understanding of him, and show you that all the hard work that you both put into it will pay off. Besides I couldn't very well go to him. I don't think I would ever be able to convince him." She chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"I like that you stayed with the basic costume." She said with a warm smile. "I think that Gotham is good hands no matter what the date."


End file.
